Big update on gritty Habs forward Andrew Shaw.

The Montreal Canadiens appear set for a big return ahead of a big match up on Saturday night.

According to a breaking news report from Montreal Canadiens insider Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, there were some promising signs out of practice this morning for the Montreal Canadiens. Most notably the insider spotted Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Andrew Shaw taking part in some very important roles in practice this morning, including time spent on the Habs power play unit. 

Shaw has been out of the line up for roughly a month now with what has been called an upper body injury believed to be to his neck, although there were some suspicions that this could once again been the result of a concussion. The injury has thus far cost Shaw 15 games in the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season and the time frame for his return has been pushed back a few times already which led many to suspect that his head rather than his neck was the true cause for concern.

That being said the news out of Habs practice today is good due to the fact that Shaw was seen taking repetitions alongside fellow Montreal Canadiens teammates Max Domi and Brendan Gallagher on the team's second power play unit today. This is of course not an official update on the status of Shaw but the mere fact that he is taking these repetitions when they could be used on another player are an indication that he will indeed return to the line up to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. 

There will of course be concerns around Shaw as he returns this evening due to the fact that he has dealt with a long history of concussions during his NHL career, even if this was purely a neck injury and those concerns are entirely unfounded. Shaw has 3 more years left on his current deal and is earning $3.9 million per season in terms of his average annual value, so any further head injuries could leave the Canadiens with a sizable contract on their hands and very few ways to get out from under it. There were reports last season that the Habs had made serious attempts to move Shaw, but nothing ever came from those rumors.

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